The building was commissioned by Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr, the Philadelphia department store owner who had commissioned Wright to building Fallingwater about a decade earlier. The home served the Kaufmann family as a winter residence.

General Assessment:Widely regarded by historians as one of Richard Neutra's masterworks, the Kaufmann Desert House was commissioned by patron Edgar Kaufmann as his winter residence. The dramatic low pinwhaeel structure appears as a series of floating planes with a focus on true inside/outside living. This is facilitated by large retractable steel and glass doors and outdoor radiant concrete pads.